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Ridgewood Public Hearing Continues On Valley Hospital Expansion

RIDGEWOOD, N.J.– A Ridgewood public hearing on a proposed expansion of The Valley Hospital will continue Tuesday night.

100 or so people turned out for the Planning Board hearing on The Valley Hospital expansion

100 or so people turned out for the Planning Board hearing on The Valley Hospital expansion

Photo Credit: Anthony Locicero

Citizens spoke for nearly two-and-a-half hours at Village Hall Monday night before the Planning Board adjourned for the evening.

The hearing was rescheduled to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Many of the 30 speakers opposed Valley's plans to double in size with a 961,000-square-foot expansion.

“The amended plan is not much of a compromise. We’ve swapped height for depth," said resident Paul Smith. 

"It's far too close to the street," added resident Brigid O'Brien.

Others expressed concerns that included the safety of schoolchildren. 

“It would be completely distracting to watch all the construction going on,” licensed school counselor Lisa Patterson said, relaying what a Benjamin Franklin Middle School student told her. "Why force this over-expansion on all the children?”

Valley, located at the corner of Linwood and Van Dien avenues, wants to replace its Phillips Building, eliminate the fifth floor of the North Building, effectively dropping the height from 70 to 56 feet.

The hospital previously tried to expand in 2014 as part of a Master Plan amendment, but the Planning Board shot it down. 

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